Radiant
by Extreme Light 9
Summary: AU. When Stan Pines meets a twelve year old runaway he takes her in and looks after her. Who is this kid? Why did she leave her home?
1. Runaway

**Chapter 1 – Runaway**

 **A/N: Hey guys! I'm back with a new Gf story. I hope you enjoy it!**

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Mabel ran through the woods as fast as her legs could carry her. The darkness made it harder for her to see, but she didn't stop. She could still hear the sound of footsteps behind her.

"Get back here!" one of the men chasing her shouted. They were getting closer.

Panicking, Mabel pressed on, running as fast as she could down the forest path. She stumbled many times and stray tree branches kept hitting her from all sides as she tried to find a way out.

Suddenly, her foot got caught onto something and she fell, her chin grazing the ground hard. Mabel winced as she tried to stand again.

"There she is!"

Mabel gasped and quickly got back on her feet and began to run again. It wasn't long until she began to feel exhausted. She had been running for so long and her feet were aching. She knew if she doesn't lose them somehow they'll surely catch her.

Wasting no time, Mabel quickly darted between the trees and hid behind one, making sure not to make a sound as the footsteps got closer.

"Where did she go?" one of them muttered.

Their leader, a man with long brown hair and a long scar across his face turned and glared at him. "How should I know!?" he snapped and looked around for the little girl. Mabel curled up and tried to hide herself as much as possible from his gaze.

"Just keep looking. She couldn't have gone far." He finally said and with that they were gone.

Mabel waited until she could no longer hear their voices before coming out of her hiding spot. She then leaned against the tree and sighed in relief. But there was no time for her to rest yet. It wasn't safe for her here and Mabel knew that if she stayed for too long they'll eventually find her.

Desperately, Mabel looked around for a shelter of any kind, somewhere she could spend the night in. Then she saw it. A light. There was a light not far from where she stood. A house maybe?

The thought gave her a little hope and without hesitation the preteen took off running again. The forest seem to be getting thinner around her and Mabel could tell she was running downhill despite how dark it was.

And that's when she tripped. Mabel cried as she found herself tumbling down the hill and landed on her side with a loud thud.

"Ow," Mabel groaned and tried to sit up. She then glanced up the hill, fearing that someone might have heard her. Thankfully, no one did and she felt relieved at that.

Slowly, Mabel stood up and gave her backpack a light tug before making her way towards the light. It wasn't long until she spotted an old wooden cabin up ahead where the light was coming from.

Taking a deep breath, Mabel approached it.

 **XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Meanwhile, Stan was sitting in his favorite chair flipping through the channels lazily. It was past twelve AM and he was just considering going to bed when a strange sound suddenly reached his ears.

Stan listened for the sound that had caught his attention for a moment and shrugged, assuming it came from the roof. He would probably get Soos to fix later. But then he heard it again and he realized it was actually coming from his porch. Someone was outside.

Feeling unsettled by this, Stan stood up and reached for the bat he kept behind his chair. _Just in case._ He thought as he slowly made his way out of the room and swung the door open.

He then looked around for whoever was causing those noises and was surprised when he saw a small girl curled up against the wall. She seemed to be in deep sleep.

Confused, Stan walked over and carefully placed a hand on her shoulder, shaking her slightly. "Hey kid, wake up."

She mumbled something intangible and opened her eyes only to scream in panic when she saw Stan towering over her.

"Whoa, hey c-calm down now." He said, but she wasn't listening to him. The kid curled up into a ball and whimpered, eyeing the bat in his hand with fear.

Stan stared at the improvised weapon for a moment, then at the girl's terrified expression and realized what she was thinking. Quickly Stan set the bat on the floor and backed away to show he meant no harm to her.

"There see? I'm not gonna hurt you," he stated carefully. This seemed to do the trick as the kid slowly calmed down with the weapon gone and looked at him curiously. "Now tell me what are you doing out here at night? Shouldn't you be home?"

She hesitated and glanced away from him. "I…I can't be home right now."

Stan raised a brow and took a closer look at her. The kid clearly had been through a rough patch. Her knees were scrapped, her hair was messy and the yellow sweater she wore was torn. She also had a backpack. Was she a runaway?

"Can….I stay here for a while?" she asked, looking up to him hopefully.

Stan rubbed the back of his neck, unsure of what to say. Keeping the girl with him might not be a good idea, but he knew he just couldn't send her away. It wasn't safe out there especially for a kid like her.

"Alright, you can stay." Stan sighed and reached out to help her up. The girl stared at his hand hesitating for a moment before taking it.

"Hey, you still hadn't told me your name yet," Stan muttered.

"I'm Mabel." she replied. "What about you?"

Stan managed a small smile. "I'm Stan Pines. Now c'mon let's get you inside." He said and led her through the door. Mabel glanced at the woods one last time before going inside with him.

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 **A/N: Thanks for reading! Let me know you think with a review.**


	2. Panic

**Chapter 2 – Panic**

 **A/N: It's been two weeks since the finale and I'm still not over it! Gravity Falls has been such an amazing show and meant a lot to me. Even though I'm sad that it's over I'll continue writing stories for Gravity Falls.**

 **Anyway, sorry for taking some time to update this fic I had loads of homework and a math test to study for so I had no time to finish this chapter.**

 **I hope you enjoy it!**

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 _Darkness filled Mabel's dreams_. _There were voices calling for her in the distance. Panicking, she quickly turned around and ran as fast she could. She had no idea where she was going, but at the moment all she wanted was to get away from this place._

 _Mabel gasped when she tripped, falling down on her knees hard. A pair of strong hands suddenly got a hold of her._

" _Where do you think you're going kid?"_

 _Mabel thrashed and yelled, but she couldn't escape as they slowly began taking her away._

"No!" Mabel shot up with a loud gasp, her heart pounding in her chest. She looked around and panicked at the unfamiliar surroundings before remembering where she was. She wasn't back _there_. She was in the house of the old man from last night, Stan Pines.

Mabel didn't know much about the man himself other than what he already told her about being the owner of a tourist trap. He didn't seem a like a bad person and he hadn't tried hurting her so far so she assumed she was safe around him.

Sighing, Mabel ran a hand through her hair and winced slightly when she found tangles in it. She wasn't surprised though, it has been a while since she brushed it.

Deciding to look around, Mabel stood up and began exploring the house.

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Stan was making pancakes in the kitchen, humming softly to himself when he suddenly heard the sound of footsteps coming his way. He looked over to see Mable poking her head through the doorway eyeing him curiously.

"Oh morning kid," Stan smiled and motioned for her to come closer. "You want some pancakes?"

Mabel was taken aback by the offer and bit her lip hesitating for a moment before making her way to the table.

Stan then set a plate of pancakes in front of the preteen and sat down. He poured enough syrup on his own pancakes and began eating them.

It was then he noticed the girl hadn't touched her food yet and instead was eyeing the doorway almost worriedly.

"Is there something wrong, kiddo?"

Mabel looked back at him. "Does anybody else live here, Mr. Stan?" she asked him carefully.

Stan raised a brow at the question and shook his head. "Nope, just me." He answered.

Mabel relaxed after hearing this and began eating her food eagerly. This was her first real meal in days and she hadn't realized just how hungry she was until now.

Stan watched the kid eat her meal and frowned when he thought back to their current situation. Remembering how upset she was when she mentioned her home, Stan tried approaching the subject carefully.

"So, uh, Mabel." He cleared his throat awkwardly. "Are you sure we can't take you back home? I bet your family is really worried about you."

Mabel's smile immediately fell and she looked down at the ground. "Yeah, it's really hard to explain, but I shouldn't be there right now." She said, her mind seem to be elsewhere.

Stan sighed and ran a hand through his grey hair. He shouldn't be taking care of a kid. He wasn't fit for it. Maybe he could take her to the police station or child services. They can probably help her more than he can.

But then again she sounded really upset when she talked about her home and family. What if they send her back to whatever situation she ran away from? And not knowing what really happened made him dismiss the idea immediately.

A loud beeping sound came from his watch, signaling that it was almost time for the first tourist bus to arrive. Stan sighed and stood up.

 _I'll think about it later._

 **XXXXXXXXXXXX**

After breakfast, Stan took Mabel to the living room and let her sit on his armchair. He then walked over to the TV and turned it on.

"Alright kid, I should be going now. Those tourists will be here any minute."

"But you will come back, right?" Mabel asked.

Stan smiled. "Of course kiddo, I'll be sure to come check on you once I'm done. Just wait here until I get back, okay?" he said, giving her a light pat on the head.

Mabel beamed at him and nodded. With that, Stan turned around to leave.

 **XXXXXXXXXXX**

Stan grinned as he watched the tourist bus leave, pleased with the amount of money he made from them. He headed back inside the shack to find Soos sweeping the floor.

"Oh there you are Soos, I got a job for you."

"What is it Mr. Pines?" Soos asked.

"Well, the kitchen sink is clogged again. Think you can fix it for me?"

"Sure thing!" Soos set the broom against the counter and quickly went for his tool box before heading towards the kitchen.

He stopped in his tracks when he heard a laugh coming from the living room. Curious, the handyman went to investigate it.

 **XXXXXXXXXXXX**

Mabel meanwhile was sitting in the front of the TV watching one of her favorite shows and singing along with its theme song.

She absently heard the sound of footsteps approaching and assumed it was Stan coming back to check on her like he promised so she smiled and focused on the TV screen instead.

"Oh hey, how did you get here?"

Mabel froze at the unfamiliar voice. Slowly, she looked over to see a man in a question mark shirt standing in the doorway staring at her.

Fear and dread filled her heart as the stranger began approaching her with a big smile on his face and reached a hand out to her.

Without any warning, Mabel screamed.

 **XXXXXXXXXXX**

Stan was in middle of setting up a new attraction in gift shop when a loud scream reached his ears. His mind immediately went back to Mabel.

Wasting no time, Stan hurried to the living room to see Mabel curled up in the far corner screaming frantically with Soos standing there looking startled himself. "Soos, what's going on here? What happened!?"

"I don't know, Mr. Pines!" Soos said in panic.

Carefully, Stan made his way to the preteen and crouched down to her, concerned. "Mabel, please tell me what's wrong?"

Instead of answering his question Mabel threw herself into Stan's arms and seemed to be trying to hide herself as much as possible from the other man in the room.

Realizing this, Stan looked back to Soos. "Soos, get out of here. You're scaring her!" he exclaimed. Soos stammered and muttered an apology to them before leaving the room.

Once they were alone, Stan focused on Mabel who was still trembling violently in his arms, sobbing. "Hey, it's okay now kid. He's gone." He said as he held her tightly, rubbing soothing circles in her back. It took a few minutes of this until the kid finally calmed down.

"Sorry for screaming like that," Mabel mumbled when she pulled away, feeling terrible.

Stan smiled softly. "It's alright, Kid. I'm not mad at you." He said. It was his own fault for not telling her about his two employees in the shack, but why did she react like that?

He glanced at Mabel who still seemed to be upset by what happened.

Stan rubbed his chin and tried to think of way to cheer the kid up. He then looked down at his watch and suddenly had an idea. "You know, there's going to be a rerun of Ducktective soon. You wanna watch it with me?" he asked.

Mabel stared at him for a moment before whipping the tears from her eyes and smiling at him, her mood slowly lifting. "Okay!"

Stan smiled back and went to sit on the couch. He patted the space next to him, signaling for her to come over.

Mabel brightened and eagerly went to sit with him, snuggling against his chest as the show soon began.

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 **A/N: I'll try to post a chapter at least once a week. Thanks for reading and please review!**


	3. Moving In

**Chapter 3 – Moving In**

 **A/N: Thanks for all the great reviews. Sorry for the wait. I've been wanting to update this story sooner, but life got in the way. Anyway, here's chapter three.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Gravity Falls.**

 **Enjoy!**

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Once the show was over, Stan excused himself and went out to look for his handyman. He knew he had a lot of explaining to do. It wasn't long until he found him in the kitchen working on the sink.

"Oh hey Mr. Pines. I fixed the sink for you." Soos said cheerily.

"That's good to hear." The con artist replied, watching the handyman collect his tool and finally broke the silence that hung between them.

"So, who was that kid back there?" he asked.

Stan sighed and explained. "That was Mabel. I found her sleeping in my porch last night. She said she ran away from home."

"Oh really?" Soos said sympathetically.

Stan nodded. "I've thought about it for a while and I've decided to let her stay here in the Mystery Shack since she doesn't have anywhere else to go." He said.

Besides, Stan knew what it was like to be alone and abandoned. He didn't want the kid to go through the same thing he did.

"That's great, Mr. Pines!" Soos smiled.

"Yeah, yeah. Just make sure you tell Wendy about this when she gets here, alright?" he replied gruffly.

"You got it!" Soo muttered.

Stan then left the man-child to continue his work. Now all they need is a place for Mabel to sleep in. There weren't many rooms in the Shack and Stan certainly wasn't going to show them the other room in his house.

Stan sighed and looked up the stairs.

The attic.

Stan didn't have much use for it and it had just enough space for the kid. It will probably work just fine for her. With that in mind, Stan turned around and went back to Mabel.

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"Where are we going, Mr. Stan?" Mabel asked as she followed him out of the shack and into his car.

"Well if you're gonna move in with me we're gonna have to get you some stuff for your new room. Maybe some new clothes too." Stan added as he glanced down at her.

Mabel looked at her clothes and frowned. Her yellow sweater was torn at the bottom and her skirt was worn out too. She suddenly felt very self-conscious and nodded at him sheepishly.

It didn't take long for them to reach town and Stan parked the car in front of a big store. He got off and began heading towards the entrance, but then stopped when he noticed that Mabel hadn't followed him.

Mabel seemed less sure about this than she had been before and he frowned in concern. "What's wrong?"

Mabel hesitated. "There's a lot of people in there."

Stan didn't understand why would that be a problem for her until he remembered what happened earlier today with Soos. He scratched the back of his head, unsure of what to do. "Well, would you like to wait for me here?"

Mabel quickly shook her head.

Stan sighed and rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "Okay, why not you just stay close to me while we're inside and I'll make sure that nothing bad happens to you. Whaddya say kid?" He smiled, offering his hand.

Finding this as a better option, Mabel smile back and took his hand. "Okay!"

With that, the two made their way inside the store. Luckily, there were only few people there and the cashier was busy texting in her phone.

Still holding Stan's hand, Mabel looked around at everything in awe and pulled him to a nearby aisle. Stan watched fondly as her eyes lit up and she began looking through the all the various shirts, picking anything that sparked her interest.

"Kid, slow down." Stan chuckled as he followed the preteen through the aisles.

There were a few times when Mabel ducked and hid behind him when someone walked by them, but in the end they managed to get everything they needed.

Once they left the store, Mabel followed Stan with a skip in her steps, pointing at anything that caught her attention and asking him questions about the town.

"Yeesh kid, you almost sound like you're new here." Stan muttered.

Mabel's paced slowed. "Well…..I am."

That made Stan stop in his tracks and looked at her in shock. "What?"

"I'm not really from this town. I just….sort of ended up at your house by accident." She explained, looking down dejectedly.

Stan's shoulder's sagged with pity after hearing this. _Things must have been nightmarish for her if she had ran all the way to Gravity Falls on her own._

Mabel then smiled at him. "But it's not really bad here. Plus I got to meet you, Mr. Stan."

Stan couldn't help, but smile back at her and gave her tiny hand a light squeeze.

"C'mon we still got a couple more stores to go to before heading back to the shack." He stated, leading the girl down the street.

 **XXXXXX**

When they arrived at the Mystery Shack Stan grabbed their bags and headed inside with the kid in tow. Making his way upstairs, Stan unlocked the door to the attic and went inside.

"Welcome to your new room, kid."

Mabel looked around her. There were wasn't much inside the room other than a dusty bookshelf, a bed and some old furniture. Stan dropped the bags on the floor and sat down on the bed.

"So, what do you think?" Stan asked somewhat nervously. "If you don't like it here we could find you somewhere else-"

"No, it's fine. Thank you so much Mr. Stan." Mabel said gratefully.

"Hey, just call me Stan." Stan muttered, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly. "And it's nothing really. Just glad I could help ya, squirt."

Mabel opened her mouth to say something, but then closed it, something in her expression shifting.

Stan raised an eye brow in confusion. "Something wrong?"

"N-No, everything's fine." She said, a little too quickly.

Stan could tell she was hiding something from him, but he didn't want to push her into telling him. "Well, I'll be downstairs making lunch. Call me if you need anything, alright?" he asked and Mabel nodded. With that, the conman stood up and left the room.

Once she was alone, Mabel let out a sad sigh as she sat on the bed and stared through the window worriedly.

 **XXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Somewhere in the woods, a boy was running as fast as he could down the forest road. He was wearing an orange shirt, a blue vest and brown shorts.

The boy stopped in his tracks to catch his breath, looking back to make sure he wasn't followed. Sighing, he slumped down under a tree and pulled out worn out red headband from his pocket, looking at it dejectedly.

"Where are you, Mabel?"

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 **A/N: I was going to end the chapter with Mabel and Stan, but a lot of people were asking me about where Dipper is during all of this.**

 **Thanks for reading and please review!**


	4. Introductions

**Chapter 4 – Introductions**

 **A/N: I can't believe how much feedback this story is getting! Thank you so much! Here's chapter four.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Gravity Falls.**

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"Hey Mr. Pines, can I talk to you for a second?"

Stan looked up from the wad of cash he was counting to see Wendy Corduroy standing in front of him.

"Sure, what do you want?"

"Well, Soos told me about the girl you found yesterday and I was wondering if I could meet her." She said.

Stan frowned immediately after hearing this and shook his head. "I don't think that's a good idea."

"What? Why not?"

"Mabel doesn't like strangers. She kept hiding behind me when we went to town and nearly had a panic attack when she saw Soos." Stan explained sternly. "So far she only seems to be comfortable around me and seeing you might scare her."

"But what if she gets into trouble and you weren't around to help her." The teen argued. "Maybe if she knew who I am, she won't be afraid to approach me."

Stan paused, having never thought of that. Wendy was right though. As much as he wanted to, he couldn't always be there protect Mabel.

"Alright, I'll talk to her tonight and if she agrees, I'll let you meet her tomorrow." Stan muttered.

"Yes!" Wendy whooped. "Thanks Mr. Pines. I'll see you guys tomorrow." With that, she picked up her backpack and made her way to the exit.

Stan sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose, knowing now that he had to break this to Mabel. He then checked his watch and frowned when realized it has been two hours since the girl went for a walk outside.

 _Where is she? She should be back by now_

 **XXXXXXXXX**

"Dipper?" Mabel called out as she walked through the woods alone. She cupped her hands around her mouth and tried again. "Dipper, are you there?"

She then waited anxiously for some sort of response, but nothing came. Sighing, she looked up the sky and realized that the sun will be setting soon. _It's getting late, I need to go back._

She took one last glace at the forest before turning around to leave. As she made her way back to the Shack, Mabel couldn't help the shiver that went down her spine as she glanced at the trees around her. Whenever she was in these woods she always felt something….watching her. It made her feel uneasy.

Quickening her pace, Mabel ran down the road until she reached the clearing where the Mystery Shack was. She headed for the backdoor and went inside. Sure enough, Mabel found Stan in the living room waiting for her.

"Oh hey kid. Mind if I talk to you for a minute?" Stan asked.

Mabel saw the anxious look on his face and panicked. "A-Am I in trouble? I'm so sorry Stan. I didn't mean to take so long!"

"What? No, that's not what I want to talk about." Stan quickly assured her. "Remember when I told you about my two employees in the shack?"

"Yeah?" Mabel said, not sure where this is going.

"Well….one of them came to me earlier and asked if she could….meet you tomorrow." Stan said slowly and cringed when he saw fear flashing in her eyes.

"B-But I-" Mabel stuttered in panic, but he interrupted her.

"Look kid, I know this might not be easy for you, but think about it. I can't be always be around to take care of you and I want to make sure you'll at least have someone to go to if you ever got hurt or needed anything." Stan stated.

Mabel bit her lip and looked down. "I don't know."

"Hey," Stan knelt down and placed a hand on her shoulder. "You know I won't let anybody hurt you, right?"

He got a slow nod from Mabel.

"Then you have nothing to worry about. I'll be there with you the whole time to make sure nothing goes wrong. You'll be alright sweetie." The term of endearment escaped Stan before he could stop it and he snapped his mouth shut. Mabel gasped and looked up at him with wide eyes.

"I...I'm-"

"You called me sweetie." Mabel murmured.

Fearing that he ruined everything, Stan stammered nervously. "No, I didn't mean it like that! I was just-It's not what you think-"

"Alright, I'll do it!" Mabel exclaimed suddenly.

Stan stared at her surprised. "Wait, really?"

"Uh-huh." Mabel nodded with a big smile on her face, her eyes lit with adoration.

Seeing her new found eagerness and liking it, Stan grinned and gave her a light pat on the shoulder. "Then it's settled! Now how about you and I go have some dinner. Huh?"

 **XXXXXXXXXXX**

The next morning, Mabel woke up feeling more rested than she had been before. Thankfully, she was spared from nightmares last night. Wasting no time, she quickly put on her new bright red sweater and made her way downstairs. She was just finishing her breakfast when Stan walked in on her.

"Alright kid. Wendy just got here. You, uh, sure about this?" asked Stan.

 _No, not really_. A part of Mabel still didn't want to do this, but knowing that Stan will be there too made her feel safe. "Yeah, I'm ready."

"Okay then, let's get this over with." Stan grunted and took Mabel to the gift shop.

Even though he didn't show it, Stan was actually nervous about the whole situation too. Many scenarios ran through his head of how this all could go wrong.

They entered the gift shop to find the redheaded teen typing on her phone. Once she saw them, Wendy put it away and walked over to them.

Stan felt Mabel shrinking behind him, tugging at his pant leg. She was still a little scared, he could tell. Carefully, he placed a hand around shoulder and tried coaxing her out.

"C'mon, it's okay." He said, giving her a small smile.

This seem to be enough to assure her and she came out from behind him. Wendy smiled and knelt down in front of her.

"Hi I'm Wendy. I work at the register in the gift shop." she said holding out her hand.

Mabel hesitantly shook it. "I'm Mabel."

"Nice to meet you. How old are you, Mabel?"

"Twelve." She shrugged.

Stan blinked in surprise. He never really asked Mabel about how old she was. The kid was even younger than he previously thought.

As the two girls continued talking Stan noticed the tension slowly leaving Mabel's body and she seemed more relaxed now.

"Oh, I almost forgot." The teen went over to her backpack and unzipped it, pulling out a stuffed bear. "This is for you, kid."

"Really!?" Mabel asked in disbelieve.

"Yup," Wendy nodded and handed it to her. They both watched as the twelve year old held the bear in awe and hugged it tightly almost as if she was she seeing one for the first time.

Mabel finally looked up at Wendy and smiled. "Thank you!"

The teen laughed. "No problem, kiddo."

 **XXXXXXXXXX**

Of all the situations Dipper thought he'd get into, this was not one he had been expecting. The preteen gulped as stared down at the cougar waiting for him at the tree's base.

"Just go away already!" Dipper exclaimed. Looking around, he grabbed a handful of nuts and hurled it down at the animal's face. The action seem to only infuriate the cougar even more and it growled viscously at him, its claws digging into the tree bark.

"Seriously!?" Dipper watched the mountain lion lie on the grass waiting patiently for him to come down.

 _Guess I'll be staying here for a while_. Dipper thought with a sigh.

After half an hour of waiting, the mountain lion finally seem to have lost interest in him and left. Dipper stayed there for a few minutes to make sure it was truly gone before coming down from the tree.

Once he touched the ground, Dipper didn't waste any time and ran off again in case the mountain lion decides to come back.

After putting as much distance as possible between him and the tree, Dipper sat down against a rock and sighed in relief. Now that he wasn't worried for his life the sudden rumbling sound from his stomach alerted him that it had been awhile since he ate anything.

Dipper dropped his backpack on the ground and unzipped it. He then took out a granola bar and began munching on it absently.

His mind soon began drifting off to his missing sister and his chest grew heavy with the thought of her. He didn't know where she was or if she's okay and it worried him deeply _._

Sighing, the boy stood up and ventured deeper into the woods.

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 **A/N: I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Please review!**


	5. Unexpected Encounter

**Chapter 5 – Unexpected Encounter**

 **A/N: Hey everyone! Thanks for all the great reviews. Now that I'm done with my exams I'll be able to update this story more often. Here's chapter 5. I hope you enjoy it!**

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Stan was in his office finishing some paperwork with a bored look on his face when someone knocked on his door.

"Come in." he said, watching Mabel poke her head through the doorway and walked in.

"Hi Stan!" she said, clutching a stack of papers in her hand.

Stan smiled. "Hey kiddo, something you need?"

"Yeah, do you have a pencil I could borrow?" she asked hopefully.

"Hmm, yes I think I have one somewhere…" leaning back, he checked his drawer and took out a spare pencil from inside. "Here you go, sweetie."

Mabel took the pencil and grinned. "Thanks, Stan!"

"What do you need that for anyway?" he asked.

"Oh, I just like to draw." Mabel replied, placing one on his desk and scribbling on it before showing it to him. "See?"

It was a drawing of Stan's face with extremely large ears and he scowled at it. "Hey, my ears aren't that big!" the conman huffed making her laugh. Despite his attempts, Stan couldn't hide his own smirk.

"Anyway, I was going to eat in town today. There's a dinner that serves good grub there. You wanna go with me?" he asked carefully.

Mabel paused. "But…won't it be crowded?"

Stan shrugged. "Not many people go there around this time of the day so we won't be having any problems. What do you think kid? It's okay if you don't want to go." He stated though he hoped that she'd agree. The meeting with Wendy had gone better than he had expected. Maybe if he could get Mabel to spend more time around other people she would finally see that nobody wants to hurt her.

Mabel pondered on this for a moment and then finally looked up at him. "Well, okay." She said with a hesitant smile.

"That's my girl!" Stan grinned.

 **XXXXXXX**

The drive to the diner was a quiet one. Mabel spend most of it staring through window until she spotted a small building coming into view. Stan found a place to park the car and they both got off.

"Remember, if you feel overwhelmed or don't want to stay there anymore just tell me and we'll head home okay kid?" he stated.

"Okay," Mabel replied.

"Good, let's go inside then. I'm starving." he said, taking her hand and leading them inside the diner. Like he promised, the place wasn't too crowded and they easily found an empty booth. Mabel sat down and began looking around curiously. The air was filled with many food smells. It was kind of inviting.

"Hi there!"

Mabel flinched at the unfamiliar voice and so did Stan, but for a different reason. He looked over to see an old woman coming their way.

"Oh h-hey, Suzan. How you've been?" Stan asked nervously.

"Good. Who's your friend?" She asked, looking at Mabel who immediately shied away from her gaze.

Stan rubbed the back of his neck nervously. "She's, uh, my niece! Yeah, I'm supposed to take care of her for a couple weeks."

"Ah I see…" Suzan nodded. "So what would you like to have today?"

Soos meanwhile was sitting in a different booth having his lunch break when he saw Stan. Smiling, the handyman stood up and was ready to go greet his boss, but stopped himself when he spotted Mabel with him.

She seemed like a nice kid and Soos really wanted to meet her, but he knew he probably ruined his chance when he stumbled upon her that day. He already scared her once. He didn't want to scare her again. Sighing, he sat down and tried to enjoy the rest of his meal.

Once the waitress got back with their food, Mabel quickly took a huge bite of her sandwich as she listened to Stan telling her some of his stories. Everything was going so well and she enjoyed spending more time with Stan. Maybe coming here wasn't a bad idea.

It was then she noticed a familiar man sitting not far from them.

He was muscular with a strong jaw, long brown hair and a long scar across his face. He wore a black shirt and a jeans pants. He was grumbling under his breath as he checked his watch and looked around, clearly waiting for someone.

And that's when he saw her. The man's eyes widen and Mabel felt her blood run cold. He immediately started typing on his phone while keeping his eyes on her. He's calling the others. They're going to come for her.

"Mabel, are you okay?" Stan asked noticing how tense she became.

"I….I gotta go." Mabel stammered. Before he could ask her why, Mabel tore herself away from the seat and began running towards the exit, nearly crashing into Lazy Suzan in her panic.

"Mabel wait!" she heard Stan shout, but she kept running until she made it out of the exit. In her haste, she didn't see another person coming her way and slammed into him causing her to fall on her back.

"Hey, watch it!" he snapped.

"S-Sorry." Mabel looked up at him and gasped. She immediately recognized him as one of the men looking for her. He had dirty blonde hair and a goatee and wore a blue jacket. He seem to recognize her too and smirked.

"Well, look what we have here."

Mabel scrambled to get away, but the blonde was quick to grab her. "Thought you could hide from us, huh kid?"

Mabel struggled and thrashed to escape, but he had a strong hold on her. "Let me go! Stan, help!" she cried desperately.

"GET AWAY FROM HER!"

Before the blonde could react, he was punched in the face by Stan Pines. His second punch made him drop Mabel and knocked him out.

Stan eyed the unconscious man before him and then turned to Mabel. "You okay, kid?" he asked in concern.

"Y-Yeah," Mabel replied shakily as he helped her stand up.

"Back off, old man. That kid is coming with us."

Both Mabel and Stan turned around to see the scarred man standing in front of the door to the diner.

Stan scowled. "Leave her alone. She's just a kid who hasn't done anything to you!"

"Can't. Our boss will pay us a lot if we bring that kid back with us." He replied, smirking.

Stan raised an eye brow at this. "Your boss?"

"Yup, now step aside and let us take the girl or something _bad_ will happen." He said threateningly, revealing a knife in his hand.

Stan gulped and stood protectively in front of Mabel who was clutching his pant leg tightly. He didn't know what to do, but he couldn't let them take Mabel. Stan's mind raced, trying to think of something, _anything_ to say that would make the man hesitate.

"No!" Suddenly, Soos came and slammed his entire weight on the thug, forcing him down. The knife fell out of his hand. "I won't let you hurt Mr. Pines!"

Despite the relief he felt at this, Stan knew they had to get out here and fast. "Get in the car. Hurry!" he exclaimed. Wasting no time, the three quickly ran to Stan's car and he drove away as fast as possible.

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 **A/N: Thanks for reading and please review!**


	6. Turmoil

**Chapter 6 – Turmoil**

 **A/N: Thanks for all your support! I really appreciate it.**

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Stan drove silently away from the diner and the events that took place there. Slowly, he adjusted his mirror to give him view of the kid in the backseat.

Mabel was hugging her legs tightly and seemed really shaken by what happened. Stan couldn't help feeling guilty for that. After all it was his idea to take her to the diner. His plan to help Mabel had backfired.

Mabel was still in shock of everything that happened moments ago. She couldn't imagine what would have happened if Stan and his handyman didn't come to her aid in time. She probably wouldn't be here with them right now.

"Hey, you okay back there kid?" Stan asked.

"Yeah," Mabel answered weakly. Stan and Soos exchanged worried looks with each other and remained silent for the rest of the ride.

It wasn't long until they arrived at the Shack. The two stepped out of the car and Mabel followed them suit. It was then Stan noticed the scratches on her legs.

"Hey, are your legs alright?" Stan asked in concern.

Mabel gulped. "It happened when that guy dropped me on the ground."

Stan smiled. "Well, it's nothing a couple of band aids can't fix. C'mon let's get you inside sweetie." He took her hand and led her to the living room, carefully placing her on his armchair.

"Wait here, I'll be right back okay?" he said and left the room, leaving her alone with the handyman.

Soos rubbed the back of his head nervously, unsure of what to do. The last time he had been alone with the kid she almost had a panic attack and he was really expecting one to happen right now.

"Hey," Soos' head whipped down to see Mabel staring up at him. "Thanks for saving us back there." she said, surprising the handyman.

"I-It's no problem dude. I'll do anything for the Pines family." He stated and then frowned guiltily. "Sorry for scaring you the other day. I didn't mean it."

"It's ok. I shouldn't have reacted that way." She smiled. "I'm Mabel by the way."

"Name's Soos!" he grinned, glad that she was no longer afraid of him. Moments later, Stan came back with the band aids.

"So tell me kid," he said while applying them on her legs. "Who were those thugs back there? From what that guy said, it sounded like they know you somehow."

Mabel bit her lip and looked down dejectedly. "T-They were sent to look for me. They've been following me around for days. I just thought they wouldn't find me this time, but..." Her voice quivered at the end.

Stan scowled after hearing this. Yes he was angry, _furious_ even, and wanted nothing more than to go back and punch those two square in the jaw, but now wasn't the time for that. Sighing, he placed a comforting hand on her shoulder, making sure she was looking directly at him.

"Look kid, I know you're scared right now, but you're gonna be okay here with us. Nobody is going to hurt you. And I'm gonna make sure that those thugs don't come anywhere near you again." Stan said reassuringly.

"Yeah, dude. Everything will be okay!" Soos added.

Mabel stared at Stan for a moment surprised then smiled and hugged him tightly. "I know."

 **XXXXXXXXX**

The sound of tires screeching nearby was heard.

Andrew finally managed to stand on his legs and looked around for any sign of the girl and the old man.

But there was none.

Growling under his breath, he walked over and picked up his knife before making his way to his unconscious partner.

"Jim, c'mon wake up!" he muttered as he shook him.

The blonde groaned and slowly woke up. "What happened? Where's the girl?" he asked as he looked around.

"She got away. Not that you were any help." Andrew replied.

"Hey, it's not my fault I got punched in the face!" Jim snapped. "Stupid old man." He mumbled while rubbing his sore cheek.

Andrew sighed and then noticed some people peering curiously at them from the diner's windows. "Let's just get out of here before people come asking questions." He stated and began walking away.

Jim's phone suddenly rang and he checked to see who was calling. "Oh no, it's the boss." He moaned and quickly shoved the phone towards his partner. "Here, you talk to him."

"Me? Why can't you do it?"

"Hey, you know what he's like when he gets mad. I don't want to face that." He replied.

Andrew sighed again and took the phone from him. "Hello, this is Andrew. The kids? Well, the boy is still missing, but we found the girl. No, she's not with us right now." He pulled the phone away from his ear when shouting came from the other side. "Yes, yes. I know. Just give us a little more time and we'll find both of them. Yes, alright."

He scowled and gave his partner his phone back. "Let's go."

 **XXXXXXXXXX**

" _You're kidding, right?"_ Wendy said through the phone after Stan finished explaining everything to her.

"I wish I was, Wendy." Stan replied, rubbing his temples.

" _What about Mabel? Is she okay? Those jerks didn't hurt her too badly, did they?"_

"Well, she was a little scratched up. Nothing _too_ serious." Stan sighed. "But it's still my fault she even got hurt. I shouldn't have convinced her into coming with me."

" _Hey, don't beat yourself over this man. There's no way you could have known those guys will be there looking for her. Besides, she's safe now and that's what matters, right?"_

"I guess," Stan muttered. "Just remember to keep an eye out for those thugs. If you see or hear anything about them call me immediately, alright?"

" _You got it, boss."_ Wendy said before hanging up.

Stan put the phone down and checked his watch to see it was already 10:30 pm. It was probably time he sent the kid to bed now.

Making his way to the living room, he was surprised to find her lying on the ground in her nightshirt, fast asleep. The girl looked like was she was in the middle of a drawing before she dozed off. She was still clutching the pencil he gave her in her hand.

Stan chuckled fondly at this. "Alright, let's get you to your bed kiddo." Careful not to wake her up, he lifted the child into his arms and was about to head for the attic, but stopped when he noticed her drawing.

Stan debated whether or not he should look at it. Mabel might have wanted to present it to him herself. Curiosity getting the best of him, he reached for the paper with his free hand and held it close to his face.

It was a picture of Stan holding Mabel's hand like they always did with big smiles on their faces. Stan felt a lump rise in his throat when he read the words at the bottom.

 _My hero_

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 **A/N: Thanks for reading. I already have the next chapter planned out so it should be ready in a few days.**

 **Please review!**


	7. Midnight

**Chapter 7 – Midnight**

 **A/N: Hey guys, sorry this chapter took a while to come out. I've been having some trouble with my computer and I couldn't finish it sooner.**

 **I hope you enjoy it!**

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 _Mabel opened her eyes to see she was back in the woods. It was nighttime and the Mystery Shack was nowhere to be seen._

 _A distant shout caught her attention and she turned around to see Dipper running as fast as he could down the forest road being chased by Andrew. The man soon caught up to the boy and pinned him to the ground._

 _"_ _Gotcha you little brat!" the scarred thug muttered as held Dipper in his arms._

 _"_ _Let me go!" Dipper yelled as he thrashed and squirmed, but nothing he did helped him escape the man's grip._

 _Mabel wanted to cry out and stop him, but she couldn't move or find her voice. She could only watch in horror as her brother was carried away by the scarred man._

 _Dipper suddenly looked in her direction and he cried out._

 _"_ _Mabel, help!"_

Mabel woke up with a gasp in her bed, her chest heaved as she tried to catch her breath. Glancing around, the girl saw she was back in the familiar attic room. She assumed Stan must have brought her here when she dozed off in the living room.

Sniffling, she brought Wendy's teddy bear closer to her chest and sobbed quietly, muffling the sounds so Stan wouldn't hear her. As she cried, the girl's mind slowly began drifting off to her missing brother and her chest grew heavy with worry and fear.

It has been days since the last time she saw Dipper and she still had no clue on where he is yet. Was he okay? Was he somewhere safe? Did those thugs already find him? She didn't want to think about that, but the more time passed the more it became a possibility.

Whipping away her tears, she got off her bed and slowly made her way towards the window still clutching her bear in her arms. Mabel's eyes desperately scanned the woods for any sign of her brother, anything that would tell her that he was still there somewhere, but she saw nothing.

It could have been her imagination though, but just for a second she felt something staring back at her from the trees.

Feeling uneasy by this, Mabel backed away from the window and glanced at her bed instead. For a moment she considered going to back to sleep, but images of her brother's distressed face flashed in her mind and she quickly shook her head. There was no way she could fall asleep again, not after that nightmare.

Careful not to make a sound, the preteen made her way down the stairs. She soon spotted the blue glow of the TV coming from the living room. Peeking inside, she found Stan snoring away on his armchair wearing nothing but his white shirt and boxers. It was then Mabel decided to seek comfort from the old man and slowly began approaching him.

A part of her mind told her that this was wrong and that she should go back to her room. Stan had already done so much for her, more than she ever asked and she didn't want to bother him in his sleep, but the memory of the nightmare kept replying in her mind forcing her to continue.

Mabel carefully placed a hand on his knee and shook him lightly. "Stan? Stan, please wake up."

"Huh?" Stan woke up with a start and looked around before squinting at her. "Mabel? What are you doing here?" he asked rubbing his tired eyes.

Mabel felt her eyes water and held her bear closer to her chest. "I….I had a nightmare," She whimpered.

Stan's face softened and looked at her sympathetically. "Aw come here, kid," He said softly, opening his arms for her.

Mabel quickly climbed on his lap and buried her face in his chest, sobbing. Stan held the girl tightly while stroking her hair with his fingers.

"You wanna talk about it?" he asked.

"No," Mabel answered weakly, scrubbing her eyes. "I don't."

Stan frowned. "Well, think you could go back to sleep again?"

The girl shook her head.

Stan rubbed his chin thoughtfully for a moment and then had an idea. "Hey, how about I make you some warm milk. That usually works for me."

Mabel seemed to think about it and then nodded at him. "Okay," she said, letting him lead her towards the kitchen. He turned on the light and pulled out two mugs from the cupboard. Might as well make some for himself too.

Mabel meanwhile took a seat in front of the kitchen table, watching the old man rummage through the fridge and pulling the milk out.

After heating the milk in a saucepan, he filled the two mugs and made his way back to Mabel.

"Here you go, kid." He smiled as he placed one in front of her before sitting across the table with his own.

He took a long sip from his mug before glancing at Mabel only to see her staring at her drink with an empty look in her eyes, seemingly deep in thought.

"Hey kid, are you sure you're okay?" Stan asked in concern.

Mabel's head snapped towards him, taken aback by the question. "W-What? Of course I'm okay!" She said with a forced smile, but Stan wasn't buying it.

"Look kid, I can tell there's something on your mind that's bothering you, but I won't make you tell me what it is. Just know that you can talk to me about anything. I won't get mad at you. Promise."

Mabel looked down, face downcast as she tried to think of anything to say. She did want to talk, she really did. The preteen knew she can't keep doing this anymore. Her brother might be in danger and all her efforts to find him on her own were fruitless. _I need help, I can't do this alone._

"Alright, I'll tell you," Mabel said finally and took a deep breath. "When I ran away, I wasn't alone. I had my brother Dipper with me."

"You have a brother?" Stan asked in surprise.

Mabel nodded. "At the same night we were followed and got separated in the woods. I was on my own for two days until you find me."

Stan sat there, taking in everything she said before finally speaking again. "Do you where your brother is right now?" he asked curiously.

The girl shook her head glumly. "No, I tried to look for him, but I couldn't him anywhere. What if those thugs already got him? They're looking for both of us!" She stated, her voice wavering.

"Hey now, don't say that. I'm sure he's fine." He quickly told her and then frowned. "But why didn't you tell me this before?"

Mabel sighed guiltily. "I wasn't sure how you will react. I've been kind of afraid that you would send me back if I somehow made you mad at me."

"Well you don't have to worry about that. You're not leaving us anytime soon kiddo." He walked over and ruffled her hair playfully. "And tomorrow, you and I gonna go to town to look for him."

"Really!?" Mabel exclaimed hopefully.

Stan grinned. "Of course, sweetie."

Mabel's lips slowly twitched into a watery smile. Standing up on her toes, she wrapped her arms around his neck. "Thank you, Stan."

Stan chuckled and gave her a light pat on the back.

Once they finished their drinks, Stan made his way back to the living room and sat on his armchair with a groan. There was an episode of Tiger Fist playing on the TV at the moment. Stan expected the kid to have gone back to her room, but he was surprised when he saw her standing in the doorway looking nervously at him.

"What is it?"

"Can I….stay here with you for a while?" she asked sheepishly.

Stan eyed the girl for a moment and then shrugged. "Fine, but once the show is over you're going back to your bed," He said firmly. Mabel smiled and sat in the space he made for her in the chair.

But by the time the show was over, both of them had fallen into deep sleep.

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 **A/N: Thanks for reading and please review!**


	8. The Boy in the Woods

**Chapter 8 – The Boy in the Woods**

 **A/N: Thanks again for all the reviews! Here's the chapter you've been waiting for.**

 **Enjoy!**

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Stan slowly woke up to see the TV playing a morning talk show. Feeling the weight next to him, he looked down to see Mabel sleeping soundly against his side. Smiling a little, Stan patted her on the shoulder lightly before standing up, careful to not wake the kid.

Stretching up, he turned off the TV and then made his way to the kitchen. As he started preparing breakfast, Stan's mind began wandering off to what the kid had told him last night.

Based on what she said, the last time she saw her brother was almost a week ago which made Stan a little uneasy. There was no real proof that he was even in Gravity Falls anymore. What if he already left? He could be anywhere by now.

And then there was Mabel, would it be safe to take her to the town with all those thugs looking for her. He thought back to what happened at the diner. He came so close to losing her that day and didn't want that to happen again. Those thoughts refused to leave Stan's mind no matter how hard he tried.

It wasn't long until Mabel woke up and they had breakfast together. When it was time for them to leave, Stan finally decided to talk to her.

"Hey, uh, kid?" Stan said. Mabel stopped in her tracks and looked up at him. "Are you sure it's a good idea to take you to town when all those dangerous men are looking for you?"

"They're looking for Dipper too. I have to go and help him!" Mabel said determinately.

"I know, kid. I want to find him too, but wouldn't it be safer if I go alone. If I run into him I'll tell him that I know you and then bring him here with me," Stan stated.

Mabel bit her lip. "But what if he doesn't believe you. All those thugs know my name and what I look like. He might think you're one of them."

Stan sighed, knowing that the girl was right. He just didn't want to put her in danger like last time. "But if they saw you there, they'll come after you."

Mabel tapped her chin thoughtfully for a moment and then had an idea. "Wait here, I'll be right back!" With that, she quickly ran upstairs.

When she came back Mabel was wearing a bright green sweater hoodie. "What do you think?" she asked as she pulled up the hood to cover her head.

"Not bad, kid." Stan grinned and then motioned for her to follow him. "C'mon, let's go."

Mabel smiled and quickly followed the old man towards his car. She opened the door and hopped inside before closing it shut. Wasting no time, Stan started the car and began driving away.

 **XXXXXXXXXXX**

"So where do you think we should look first?" Stan asked while he drove.

"I don't know, the first time I went to look for Dipper I tried using my twin powers to find him, but it didn't work." Mabel said with a shrug.

"Wait, what do you mean 'twin powers'?" Stan asked, confused.

"Oh, didn't I tell you?" Mabel tilted her head to the side. "Dipper and I are twins."

Mabel saw Stan stiffen for a moment, his eyes widening and his grip on the steering wheel tightened ever so slightly.

"Stan, are you okay?" She asked with concern.

"I-I'm fine, just a little surprised, sweetie." He replied shakily and then tried to change the topic. "So how about you tell more about your brother? What is he like?"

Mabel giggled good-naturally. "Well, he's a big dork. He likes reading books and solving puzzles. He can be a worrywart sometimes," she said, her lips twitching into a sad smile. "But I always thought he's great."

The more Stan listened to the girl the more he was reminded of someone else he knew.

"You really miss him, don't you?" Stan asked, almost more to himself than to her.

"Yeah," Mabel said as she leaned against the car window. "I do."

 **XXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Soon enough, they reached town. Stan found a place to park the car near the arcade. Mabel undid her seatbelt and jumped off, taking in her surroundings.

In all her previous attempts at finding her brother, Mabel was always worried about getting lost, but she was more confident now that she had Stan who knew the town better than she did.

Pulling up her hood, Mabel took Stan's hand and began walking down the sidewalk.

 **XXXXXXXXXX**

They spent the next few hours searching the streets and checking the lots for any sign of Dipper even going as far as asking some people if they had seen the boy.

Mabel looked around them, her eyes desperately scanning the crowds for a glimpse of her missing brother, but to her disappointment he wasn't there.

Later that day, they were sitting on a park bench after hitting another dead-end. Mabel's face was downcast, upset over their lack of progress.

"Do you wanna keep looking?" Stan asked suddenly.

"What?" Mabel looked up at him in surprise. "Of course, Stan! We're not gonna stop until we find Dipper."

Stan sighed and rubbed his chin. "Well, we still haven't checked the forest yet. Should we go there now?" he asked only to realize the kid wasn't paying attention to him anymore.

Mabel's brows were furrowed and she was squinting at something behind him. Her face suddenly changed from confusion to fear and she quickly scrambled to hide behind the bench.

Stan raised an eyes brow at this and looked back just in time to see a man coming their way. He had a black beard and wore a red bandana and a brown shirt.

Stan waited until the man was gone before checking on Mabel. "Kid, what happened?"

"H-He was one of them," Mabel answered weakly.

"The thugs?" Stan asked in surprise. "Just how many of those guys are there?"

"I don't know. I only recognize the ones that came after me."

Stan gulped, just the thought of more dangerous criminals nearby looking for them sent him on edge. "Hurry, let's get out of here." He muttered and quickly led her back to his car.

 **XXXXXXXXXXXXX**

"Okay, we're here," Stan stopped the car just outside the forest. He got off and slowly began making his way into the woods with Mabel.

"Dipper, are you there? Dipper!" Mabel called out at the top of her lungs, but no one answered. Despite this, the girl refused to give up and continued.

Stan considered calling out as well, but then decided against it. The boy wouldn't recognize his voice and it might scare him away.

"Maybe if we split up we'll have a better chance at finding him." Mabel suggested.

"Fine," Stan said hesitantly. "But don't go too far and if you see trouble hurry back to me, okay?"

"Got it!" Mabel gave him a thumbs up and then walked away. Stan sighed and rubbed the back of his head, unsure of where to go from here.

He began making his way through some shrubs, wincing slightly when a stray branch scratched his hand.

It was then Stan saw something at the corner of his eye. There, sitting under a tree was a boy seemingly deep asleep. He looked a little pale and wore an orange shirt and a blue vest matching the description Mabel gave him. _This must be him!_

Excitement and relief filled Stan. Just before he could call for Mabel, Stan stepped on a twig and it broke with a loud snap startling the boy awake.

Once he saw Stan standing in front of him, Dipper cried out and grabbed a nearby branch, holding it defensively against his chest.

"W-Who are you?" Dipper asked wearily with his back pressed against the tree. Despite the boy's efforts to look intimidating, Stan could see a hint of fear in his eyes.

"Hey, it's okay. I'm not gonna hurt you," Stan said carefully, not wanting to scare the kid. "I'm here to help. I found your sister and-"

"Mabel?" Dipper looked shocked at the mention of his sister before scowling angrily. "Where is she? WHAT DID YOU DO TO MY SISTER?" he growled.

Stan stammered. "N-Nothing! She's fine. I didn't hurt her!" He exclaimed, but nothing he said seem to calm the kid down.

"What's going on here?"

Both of them looked over to see Mabel walking into the clearing. Stan felt relieved at seeing her while Dipper stared at the girl in disbelieve.

"Mabel?"

Mabel gasped when she spotted him and a huge smile took over her face. "Dipper!" Without hesitation, Mabel ran to her brother and hugged him tightly.

"I'll looked everywhere for you," She murmured, feeling relieved tears welling up in her eyes.

"M-Me too," Dipper said as he hugged back, momentarily forgetting where they were and the stranger standing not far from them.

Stan meanwhile watched the two kids from his spot with small smile on his face.

It was then Dipper remembered that he was there and quickly stood in front of his sister protectively. "Stay back!" he then looked back to his sister. "Don't worry Mabel I won't let him hurt you."

"What? Dipper, Stan isn't gonna hurt us!" Mabel said.

"Wait, you know him?" Dipper asked confused.

"Yeah, he let me stay in his house and took care of me. I wouldn't have found you in time if it weren't for him." Mabel explained, smiling at him.

Stan found himself squirming uncomfortably under the boy's gaze before waving awkwardly at him.

Dipper sighed and turned his attention to Mabel again. "I'm sorry I couldn't find you sooner Mabel. You could have been hurt and I wouldn't have been able to help you," He stated, looking ashamed of himself.

"Hey, it's alright. I'm fine and you're here and that's what matters, right?" Mabel said reassuringly.

"Hey, I hate to be the one breaking the moment, but the sun will be setting soon. We should take you two back to the Mystery Shack." Stan muttered.

"Oh yeah! Dipper, you're gonna love it there. I can't wait to introduce you to everyone!" she told Dipper excitedly.

Stan sighed in contentment, glad both twins were safe now. He then turned around and began heading back to the car with the two kids in tow. He was about to reach for the door when he suddenly heard a light thud and Mabel cry in distress.

"Dipper!"

Stan quickly looked back to see the boy collapsed on the ground.

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 **A/N: Thanks for reading and please review!**


	9. Doubts

**Chapter 9 – Doubts**

 **A/N: Hey guys, thank you so much for your continued support! I had writer's block for a while so I couldn't finish this sooner.**

 **I hope you enjoy it!**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Gravity Falls.**

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Stan watched in shock as the boy lay on the ground, motionless. He quickly rushed to his side and kneeled beside Mabel.

"Kid, what happened?" he asked, alarmed.

"I-I don't know!" Mabel answered and shook her brother frantically. "Dipper, please this isn't funny. Wake up!"

But no matter what she did, Dipper remained unconscious. Stan gulped. He wasn't sure what to do, but he knew they had to take the boy somewhere safe.

"Get in the car. We need to take him back to the shack now!" Stan muttered. Mabel nodded hesitantly and left. Stan then lifted the boy into his arms and followed her back to the car, placing him in the back seat as gently as possible.

Wasting no time, Stan started the car and drove towards the shack. Keeping his eyes on the road, he fixed the mirror to give him view on the two children in the back seat and make sure they were both okay.

After what felt like hours, the Mystery Shack finally came into view.

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"Here you go, sir." Wendy said as she handed the man the snow globe, watching their last customer for the day leave.

"Finally," Smiling, she stood up and began stretching up. The day had been uneventful and her boss hasn't been around to give any tours. _Now that I think about it, I haven't seen Mabel either._

She looked over to Soos who was restocking the shelves. "Hey Soos, do you know where Mabel and Mr. Pines went?"

Soos shrugged. "Not really. He just called me this morning and said they had some errands to run in town."

Wendy frowned at this. "Why would he take Mabel there? I'm pretty sure those thugs are still looking for her."

"I don't know dude, but I'm sure Mr. Pines knows what he's doing."

Just then, the door was slammed open. Stan came running inside with Dipper in his arms and Mabel not far behind. Both Wendy and Soos stared at the unconscious boy in surprise.

"Mr. Pines, what happened?" Wendy asked.

"We don't have time for that! Help me take him to the attic room. Soos, go bring the first aid kid now!" Stan exclaimed.

"Y-Yes, Mr. Pines," Soos stammered and quickly left the room.

Stan and the two girls then made their way to the attic and laid Dipper on Mabel's bed. It was then Stan finally got a good look at him and immediately grimaced. The boy's skin was sickly pale and he had dark circles around his eyes. There were also some scratches on his face and legs. He honestly didn't know how he never noticed those before.

"Guys, what happened? Where did you find this kid?" Wendy asked again.

"In the woods," Stan said simply, hoping it'd be enough of an answer. He wasn't sure if Mabel wanted the two to know about her brother yet.

Moments later, Soos came back with the first aid kit. Stan made a grab for it, but Wendy beat him to it.

"Here, I'll do it." She told Stan. The old man shrugged and stepped aside. Wendy then bent down in front of the boy and began inspecting his injuries.

"Will he be okay?" Mabel asked worried.

"Well from the looks of it, he hasn't been eating or sleeping enough so we should make sure he gets both of those when he wakes up." Wendy answered as she bandaged the wound on Dipper's arm. Luckily, the other cuts on his face and legs were nothing too serious and she managed to treat all of them.

"Alright, now that it's done, would you like to tell us what's really going on?" Wendy asked, crossing her arms and giving Stan a hard look.

Stan was taken aback by this. "What?"

"You two were gone all day for some reason and when you finally came back you brought an unconscious boy with you,"

Stan flinched and looked down at Mabel, unsure of what to say. Mabel gave him a hesitant smile and nodded.

Stan sighed. "Fine, I'll tell you,"

 **XXXXXXXXXXXX**

Stan then began explaining everything to his two employees, but Mabel stopped listening to what they were saying. Her eyes were fixed on Dipper instead. The sight of her brother's pained, pale face made her heart sink.

The dark circles under his eyes and the cuts on his cheeks that she had missed earlier in the woods were now clear to her. Back then she had been so relieved to see him that she hadn't really paid attention to the state he was in.

She should have acted sooner, should have prevented this from happening. Now her brother was hurt and there was nothing she could do to help him.

 **XXXXXXXX**

"So he was in the woods all this time? No wonder he's like this," Wendy said sympathetically once Stan explained everything.

"Mr. Pines, shouldn't we take him to a hospital? They probably can help him a lot more than we can," Soos added.

Stan sighed. "Look, I already thought of that, but I don't think I can come up with a lie convincing enough if they started asking me about him. What if they decided to look him up and ended up contacting his home? Trust me, he's better off with us," He stated and looked over to Mabel only to see her staring at Dipper with an emotion he couldn't read. Something was clearly bothering her.

"Hey Wendy, can I ask you something?"

"What is it?" she asked.

"Do you think you could distract Mabel for a couple of minutes? Take her somewhere where she could get some fresh air. I don't think staying here is doing her any good." Stan explained carefully.

Wendy thought about it for a moment and then nodded. "Sure, Mr. Pines,"

It took them about five minutes to convince Mabel into leaving with Wendy, but she firmly made Stan promise her that he'd stay with Dipper the entire time she was gone.

"So, where are we going Wendy?" Mabel asked as she followed the teen down the stairs.

"You'll see," she said simply as they entered the gift shop. Mabel watched in confusion as Wendy made her way to a curtain and pulled it away, revealing the hidden ladder behind it.

"Whoa, was that always there?" asked Mabel.

"No, I put it there myself a while ago," Wendy answered and then grimaced nervously. "You're not gonna tell Stan about this, are you?"

Mabel raised an eyes brow at the teen, but shook her head anyway.

Satisfied with this, Wendy began climbing the ladder. "C'mon, follow me!" she exclaimed.

Mabel hesitated, not knowing if this was a good idea or not, but she was really curious about what might be up there so she climbed after her friend.

Soon enough, they reached the rooftop and Wendy led Mabel to her secret hiding spot. The teen walked over to the cooler and took out two Pitt Cola cans, passing one to Mabel.

"Thanks!" Mabel said. The two sat there for a few minutes simply enjoying the view. When the teen glanced at Mabel she saw her staring at her soda glumly.

"You wanna tell me what's bothering you?" Wendy asked in concern.

"Huh? No, no. Everything's fine!" When Wendy gave her an unconvinced look the preteen sighed in defeat. "It's just….I feel like it's my fault that Dipper is like this,"

Wendy's eyes widen. "What!? Mabel, don't say that. This has nothing to do you!"

"But it does!" Mabel insisted. "I should have said something sooner, I should have tried harder to look for him. Maybe if I hadn't been so late then….he wouldn't have gotten hurt so much,"

"Mabel," Wendy said seriously, placing a hand on the girl's shoulder. "None of this is your fault. Don't blame yourself for what happened,"

"But-"

"No buts! I may haven't been there to see it, but I know you did everything you could to find him and I'm sure your brother knows that too. Besides, if there's anybody to blame for this then it's those thugs for putting you two through all of this!" She said the last part with a scowl.

Mabel looked down at her feet. "I guess you're right, but…I still wish I had found him sooner,"

Wendy frowned and rubbed her chin for a moment until she had an idea. "Hey, watch this," she then picked up a pine cone from the bucket next to her and stood up. She aimed for the totem pole and swiftly threw the pine cone, hitting the target on it.

"Yes!" Wendy cheered while Mabel stared in awe.

"That was so cool!" the kid exclaimed.

"Now you try it." Wendy said as she handed Mabel one.

Mabel held the pine cone in her hands hesitantly for moment before throwing it, but she had missed the pole completely. "Aw, man!" she groaned.

The teen smiled patiently and passed her another. "It's okay, try again,"

Mabel clutched the pine cone in her hand and scowled in determination. She then aimed at the target and with all her strength she threw the projectile, this time hitting it directly.

Both girls broke into cheers and high-fived each other, laughing.

"I bet I can score more than you," Mabel said suddenly.

Wendy grinned. "Is that a challenge I hear?"

With that, the two girls continued their game, sometimes hitting, sometimes missing until the sun had set and the bucket was completely empty.

"So, ready to head back?" Wendy asked.

Feeling more at ease than she had been all day, Mabel smiled and nodded. "Yeah, let's go,"

 **XXXXXXXXXXXXX**

"Stan, where am I gonna sleep tonight?" Mabel asked suddenly that night while they were checking on her brother.

Stan paused, having never thought of that before and rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "Well, there's still my bed so you could sleep with me….if you want," he finished awkwardly.

Mabel stared at him for a moment then giggled. "It's okay, I don't mind." She then turned to Dipper and placed her hand on his. "Good night Dipper, I hope you wake up soon,"

She then let Stan lead her towards the door, stopping momentarily to turn off the light. Mabel glanced at her brother one last time before Stan closed the door.

It was then, just for a moment, Dipper twitched in his sleep.

 **XXXXXXXXXXX**

 **A/N: I hope you liked the bonding moment with Mabel and Wendy. Please review!**


	10. Distrust

**Chapter 10 – Distrust**

 **A/N: Hey everyone! I'm really sorry for the wait, but my computer crashed recently so I had to wait until it's fixed so I could post this chapter. I made it longer to make up for my absence.**

 **I hope you enjoy it!**

 **XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Mabel was lying on the attic floor, drawing. She frowned when she made a mistake and flipped her pencil to erase it. Just then, she noticed movement at the corner of her eye and looked over to see her brother shifting in his sleep. He had been doing that a lot lately which she took as a good sign.

Mabel smiled and returned her attention to her drawing. There was a knock on the door and Wendy walked in.

"There you are Mabel, I haven't seen you all day," Wendy stated.

"Well, I have to watch over Dipper in case something happens to him," Mabel replied and Wendy frowned with concern.

"Hey, uh, why don't go do something else. You've been here for hours. I'll stay with your brother."

Mabel looked up at her. "But don't you have work to do?"

Wendy shrugged. "Nah, I'm not needed down there right now so don't worry about that."

Mabel bit her lips and glanced at her brother before sighing. "Fine."

Wendy smiled and watched her leave the room. She then pulled out her phone and sat on a chair, glancing at the boy every now and then.

Mabel meanwhile was on her way downstairs to watch TV when she suddenly heard a loud crash and a yelp coming from the shack closet. Startled, Mabel rushed inside to find Soos coughing loudly.

"Soos, what are you doing here?" she asked confused.

"Oh nothing dude, just doing some cleaning for Mr. Pines. This place is just a little…dusty." His face scrunched up and he started coughing again.

Mabel wandered inside the closet and looked around curiously. Everything was covered in dust and looked like it hadn't been touched in years.

She peered inside a box to find it was filled with old clothes. Her face immediately lit up when she saw there were also some knitting needles and a ball of red yarn inside.

"Soos, do you think I could take these?" Mabel asked, showing him the items she found.

Soos rubbed his chin and shrugged. "I don't know dude. You should ask Mr. Pines. He was outside the last time I saw him."

"Okay, thanks Soos!" Mabel said excitedly and hurried out of the room. She made her way through the gift shop and went through the exit door only to stop in her tracks when she saw Stan talking to some tourists.

Even after meeting Stan and his employees and befriending them she still didn't like being around strangers and preferred to stay away from them. Sighing, she sat down in the porch and waited patiently for them to leave. It wasn't so bad since she enjoyed listening to the stories the conman told, not caring if they were real or not.

Once she was sure that everyone was gone, she ran to Stan who was counting the money he made. "Stan, look what I found!"

Stan raised an eyes brow and knelt in front of her. "Where did you get these?" he asked.

"Uh….they were in a box in the shack's closet," she answered and lowered her head, worried that he'd be upset with her. "I-Is it okay if I keep them?"

"Wait, you know how to knit?" Stan asked in surprise.

This made Mabel grin proudly. "Yeah, I used to make all my sweater by myself before…..you know," her voice trailed off and her smile vanished.

Stan nodded understandingly. "Hey it's okay. You don't have to talk about it sweetie. Keep the stuff you found. It don't really need them," he smiled and ruffled her hair making her giggle.

"Thanks Stan!"

 **XXXXXXXXXXXX**

" _This way, c'mon," Dipper said as he led his sister through the dark corridor, moving as quietly as possible._

 _As they began walking down the stairs the boy winced when they creaked under his footsteps, but he was relieved when he didn't hear anyone coming their way. They continued their trek until they reached the end of the stairs and hurried to the door._

 _Once they were outside, Dipper led his sister to the gate, but bit back a groan when he saw it was locked._

" _What now?" Mabel asked anxiously._

 _Dipper frowned and looked around for another way out, but saw none. "We're gonna have to climb the fence," he said finally. Wasting no time, the twins hurried towards it._

" _Alright, I'll go first." Mabel rubbed her hands together and began climbing._

" _Be careful," Dipper said nervously, glancing behind him every now and then to make sure they weren't seen._

 _Once she reached the top, Mabel jumped down and landed on the side safely. She dusted her clothes and gave him a thumbs up._

 _Taking a deep breath, Dipper went next, but when he reached the top he hesitated to jump. He never liked heights and seeing how far down his sister was made him shudder._

" _It's alright, it's not as high as it looks. You can do it," Mabel said, giving him the assurance he needed._

 _Dipper gulped and nodded. "Okay, here it goes," he muttered and then jumped down, landing on the other side with a grunt._

" _See, I told you." Mabel stated, smiling at him._

 _Dipper smiled back and then pulled out a flashlight from his backpack. "Let's get out of here before someone notices we're gone."_

 _With that, the two made their way to the forest. It was really dark and they had a hard time seeing their way even with the flashlight. Mabel clung to Dipper's shirt tightly and despite his own fear, Dipper tried to stay brave for her._

" _Dipper look!" Mabel suddenly gasped._

 _Dipper looked back and paled when saw light coming from the windows of the mansion._

 _They were found out._

" _Run!" Dipper shouted as he grabbed his sister's hand and sprinted down the forest path._

Dipper slowly opened his eyes, letting out a soft groan at the pain he felt in his limps. It took him a moment to realize he was lying on a bed, covered in bandages.

"Oh, you're awake!"

Dipper froze at the unfamiliar voice and looked over to see a girl with red hair staring at him in surprise.

"W-Who are you? Where am I?" Dipper asked nervously.

Wendy smiled reassuringly. "It's okay, you're not in danger. My name is Wendy and right now you're in my boss' house."

 _Boss._

Dipper's eyes widen and Wendy realized what she just said. "Wait no, I didn't mean-"

But Dipper heard enough. Seeing the door was left open, he threw away the blanket and dashed towards it.

"Wait, come back!" Wendy called out, but he didn't listen. Dipper tried to ignore the pain shooting his legs as he looked around for a way out of the house. He took a left turn and crashed into Soos, making him drop the boxes he was carrying.

"Ow," Soos rubbed his sore head and then gasped when he saw the boy. "Whoa, when did you wake up?"

Dread and panic filling him, Dipper turned around and ran the other way. He could hear someone coming after him and tried to run as fast as he could.

Soon enough, he reached a staircase and quickly ran down them. He sprinted to the nearest door and opened it, feeling slightly relieved when it led him outside.

Stumbling through the porch in his panic, the boy made it to an old totem pole when heard someone gasp.

"Dipper?"

He stopped running and looked over to see his sister. She quickly dropped what she was holding and came to hug him.

"You're awake!" Mabel said with relief, but then frowned in confusion. "How did you get here?" she asked.

The girl then saw Wendy come out of shack looking breathless and her brother panicked. "Mabel hurry, we need to get out of here now!" he exclaimed.

"What? Dipper stop!" Mabel muttered when he tried to pull her away.

"But she-"

"That's my friend Wendy. She works in the Mystery Shack. I told you we'll bring you here remember?"

Dipper blinked in confusion and placed a hand on his forehead, trying to remember. Everything that happened before he collapsed was foggy and it took him a moment until it all came back to him. He could remember his sister telling him that in the woods after she found him.

Dipper groaned, realizing the scene he had just made. "I'm sorry Mabel." He said ashamed.

"Hey kid, why did you run off like that-Whoa, he's awake!?" Stan muttered in shock and then gave the girls a look. "Why is he out of bed?"

"It's my fault Mr. Pines. I said the wrong things and scared him off," Wendy said guiltily.

Stan sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "Let's just get the kid back to the attic. All that moving around can't be good for him."

Now that the adrenaline wore off, Dipper could feel all his limps ache so he didn't protest and let them take him back inside.

Stan had send Wendy to the gift shop and led the two kids back their room, gently helping Dipper settle back into his bed.

"Well, I should get you something to eat. You're probably hungry, right?" Stan asked.

Well, it's been a while since Dipper ate anything so he simply nodded.

Mabel watched Stan leave the room and noticed her brother was staring at the door even after he left. "Is something wrong?" she asked in concern.

Dipper turned to her. "Mabel, can I talk to you about something?"

Mabel tilted her head in confusion. "What is it?"

"It's about that guy, Stan. I think you should stay away from him," he said seriously.

"What!?" Mabel muttered in disbelieve. "But why?"

"Because we don't know if we could trust him. How do you know he's not gonna turn us in to those thugs?"

"Stan would never do that!" Mabel exclaimed.

"Even if they paid him?" Dipper challenged, crossing his arms.

Mabel opened her mount to retort, but then closed it. Actually, she did notice especially this morning how happy Stan gets whenever he made profits and-

 _No, no, Stan wouldn't do that. He cares about us!_ Mabel thought, berating herself for almost doubting the man after everything he did for her. Stan would never abandon them like that.

"Yes," she said with a look of finality in her eyes.

Dipper groaned and buried his face in his hands. "Look Mabel, I'm not saying this to upset you. I'm just trying to look out for us. You know that, right?"

"Yeah, I know," Mabel sighed.

"We can't stay in one place for too long, it's not safe. We should just take everything we need and leave as soon as possible," Dipper stated.

Mabel looked downcast. "But Dipper, if we're not safe here in the shack then we're not safe anywhere. If Stan hadn't took me in that night then I would have been caught and what do you think would've happened if we didn't find you in the woods?"

Dipper already knew and he shuddered at the thought. He probably would've passed out somewhere in the forest and no one would be there to help him.

"I know you're worried Dipper, but you should give Stan and the others a chance." Mabel said.

Dipper thought about it for a moment and then sighed. "Alright, fine."

"Yes! Thank you, thank you!" Mabel cheered and pulled him into a hug. "You won't regret it!"

Dipper laughed at this, but deep down he couldn't help the uneasiness growing inside him.

 **XXXXXXXXXXXXX**

 **A/N: Thanks for reading and please review!**


	11. Reminiscence

**Chapter 11 – Reminiscence**

 **A/N: Hey guys. This is it, we've reached the story climax! There are about two more chapters left and this fic will be completed. Thanks for following and supporting my story.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Gravity Falls.**

 **Enjoy!**

 **XXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Mabel slowly opened her eyes and let out a soft yawn. She looked over to find that Stan had already woke up and left the room. The con artist had asked her to sleep with him for now until they got her a bed of her own since Dipper was still using her old one.

Rubbing the tiredness from her eyes, Mabel hopped off the bed and began making her way down the stairs. Almost immediately she was hit by the smell wafting from the kitchen and felt her stomach give a low growl.

She entered the kitchen to find Stan setting a plate of pancakes on the table. "Good morning, Stan!" she said cheerily.

"Morning, sweetie," Stan smiled and sat on his chair, opening his newspaper. He watched the kid douse her pancakes in syrup and eating them eagerly. He couldn't help, but smile fondly at the sight. It's been almost two weeks since he met the kid and he had grown really fond of her. He always felt at ease when she was around, not that he'd admit that to anyone.

It was then Stan noticed her putting some pancakes on another plate. "What are you doing, kid?" he asked in confusion.

"I'm gonna take some to Dipper. He's probably awake by now," Mabel stated, hopping down the chair with the plate. "Hey, are you done reading that newspaper?"

"Um…yeah,"

"Great! You should bring it too. My brother likes solving the crosswords." Mabel answered.

Sighing, Stan folded the newspaper and followed the preteen upstairs. She knocked on the door once and then pushed it open only to find her brother reaching for the bookshelf.

Mabel gasped. "Dipper, what are you doing!? You shouldn't leave the bed!" she scolded.

Dipper flinched. "I just wanted a book to read."

The girl rolled her eyes. "Well, you could have just called for me and I would've brought it to you. Your legs won't get better if you strain yourself like that." She set the plate on the nightstand and led her brother back to bed.

"I know, I just didn't want to bother you." Dipper then sighed. "I don't like being stuck here like this,"

"Well, don't worry bro-bro. I'm sure you'll be back in shape in no time!" Mabel grinned reassuringly. "Anyway, I got you some breakfast," she said, placing the plate of pancakes in his lap

Dipper's face immediately lit up. "Thanks, Mabel!" he said gratefully and began eating.

"Here you can have this too. Your sister said you like crosswords." Stan said and set the newspaper next to him. Dipper quickly flinched when he saw him.

"Thank you," he replied without looking at Stan. The three then fell into awkward silence.

Stan tried not show it, but Mabel could tell he was slightly hurt by the response. Even though her brother had promised her that he'd give Stan a chance, he was still not warming up to him.

The two didn't talk much and when they did their interactions were always short and ended on an awkward note. She wished there was a way to help them get along.

Stan suddenly broke the silence by clearing his throat. "Well, I better get going. We're running out of food so I'll be heading to town to buy groceries."

"I wanna go with you!" Mabel exclaimed.

"Mabel!" Dipper muttered, not liking the idea.

"Look I'm gonna be fine. I'll put on my hoodie. Besides, I won't be alone. Stan will be there with me too." Mabel reasoned.

Dipper looked between her and Stan before sighing. "Fine,"

"Alright then, let's go." Stan muttered and began walking out of the room. Mabel quickly grabbed her green hoodie and then glanced at Dipper.

"Oh, one more thing. Don't think about going anywhere mister," she said warningly, narrowing her eyes at him.

Dipper quickly raised his hands in mock surrender. "Okay, okay. I won't I promise!"

Mabel giggled and then hurried after Stan.

 **XXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

When she made it out of the shack, Mabel saw Stan heading towards his car and she ran to catch up to him. As she walked besides the man for a few seconds, she remembered what happened earlier at the attic and frowned.

"I'm sorry, Stan."

Stan sighed, already knowing what she was referring to. "Don't be, it's not your fault kid. I don't blame your brother either for the way he's acting around me. I'm nothing, but a shady guy running a tourist trap. Most people in town don't like me," he said with a hint of self-loathing in his voice.

Shocked by this, Mabel quickly ran in front of Stan, stopping him in his tracks. "Stan, don't say that! You're not a bad person. You helped me and Dipper remember? If it weren't for you we wouldn't be here right now. My brother just needs more time to see that."

Stan stared at the kid for a while and couldn't stop a smile from gracing his lips. "Well, when you put it like that then I can't argue with you."

Mabel beamed and climbed the car with him.

 **XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

During their drive to the town, Mabel noticed Stan glancing at her every now and then, almost as if he wanted to say something to her, but didn't know how.

"Stan, is there something wrong?" she asked in concern.

Stan stiffened. "It's just that…I've been meaning to ask you, kid. Where did you and Dipper come from? Why are those thugs after you and who is this "Boss" they kept talking about?"

Mabel flinched and looked down guiltily.

"Hey I'm not saying you have tell me, but I just feel like I can't really help you two if don't know what's going so maybe If you could-"

Mabel stopped him. "It's okay, Stan. I should have told you sooner. I just don't like to think about it." She replied and began explaining.

"About a year ago, Dipper and I used to live with our dad in Piedmont. Dad started struggling with money and he had some hard time supporting our family. One day, a man came to him offering his help and with all the debts he had Dad believed him. They started working together and ever since then things began looking up again." She said with a nostalgic look in her eyes.

"When he we came by at our house for the first time, Dipper said that something felt off about him, but I didn't think he was being fair. He says that to everyone he meets. I actually trusted the man too and believed he was really trying to help us, but after couple of weeks everything went wrong."

"What do you mean?" Stan asked.

"We found out it was all an act. He was actually a crime boss and was tricking us the entire time. He got Dad to trust him with everything he had and then took it all away. He came with a bunch of other men one night and took whatever they could from our house, including Dipper and I." she said, voice wavering and Stan's eyes widen.

She continued. "He brought us to his big house and made us live there with him. He wasn't good to us and wanted to involve us in his criminal activities. We asked him so many times to let us leave, but he always refused so we had no choice, but to run away. We couldn't try to go back to our old house since they probably will look for us there so we came here instead."

Mabel hugged herself and felt tears welling up in her eyes. "Now I'm worried that they will find us somehow and take us back there, back to him."

"They won't,"

Mabel blinked and looked at him in confusion. "How do you know?"

"Kid, do you trust me?" Stan asked her suddenly.

Mabel stared at him for a moment and then nodded. "I trust you,"

"Then believe me when I say that everything is going be okay. No matter happens, I won't let them have you." Stan said softly.

He then grinned at her. "Besides, those thugs are bound to give up eventually. I bet after a few more days they'll get tired of looking and leave this town for good. Then you two won't have to hide anymore."

Mabel let out a shaky laugh and nodded. "Yeah, you're right," she replied, wiping her tears.

Stan smiled, glad he was able to make her feel better.

The rest of the trip went without any incidents. Mabel had stayed close to him the entire time they were in the store and he managed to get everything they needed.

It was on their way back that Stan noticed something in the rearview mirror. There was a black car not far behind them. He remembered seeing it near the store earlier too. It was always a few car lengths back, never getting closer to them.

Not wanting to risk it, Stan suddenly turned the wheel sharply and made the car go through the trees.

"S-Stan, what's going on?" Mabel asked frantically as branches hit the car from all sides.

"It's a shortcut, sweetie. It'll get us to the shack faster," he said with a fake grin, trying his hardest not to hit any trees.

Thanks to his "shortcut", they managed to lose the car that was following them. Stan sighed in relief and then drove back to the shack, hoping they wouldn't have a run like that again.

 **XXXXXXXXXXXX**

 **A/N: This chapter was hard to write, but I'm happy with the way it turned out.**

 **Please review!**


	12. Premonition

**Chapter 12 – Premonition**

 **A/N: Hey everyone! Sorry for the wait, but I had to write this chapter several time before I was satisfied with everything. I hope you enjoy it!**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Gravity Falls.**

 **XXXXXXXXXX**

In the next few days that followed, Stan was relieved when he never saw that black car again, but there were still times when he couldn't shake the feeling of being followed, of someone watching him closely. It made the conman uneasy, but he couldn't tell where it was coming from.

It reminded him of the years he spent on the streets.

Which was why Stan made sure to keep a watchful eye on the kids. He didn't want anything bad happening to them. He couldn't risk it, no matter how much he wanted to believe this was just his own paranoia and nothing more.

 **XXXXXXXXXX**

It might have taken some time, but Dipper was finally able to walk again without limping.

Since the shack was closed today Stan sent him and Mabel to help Wendy at the gift shop. This was his first time going there and the boy found himself getting more and more confused as he looked around.

"Seriously, do people actually come all the way here to buy these things?" Dipper asked, looking at a Stan bubblehead incredulously.

Wendy snickered. "As weird as it sounds, yeah they do. Trust me, I was surprised too when I first came here. Somehow this shack is the most famous attraction in the whole town."

Dipper hummed in response and put it back on the shelf.

"You know, I've been working in this place for over two years now and it always felt dull and boring around here. I thought this summer was gonna be like that too, but then you two showed up and made everything a lot more interesting. I always have fun with you guys." She said, grinning at him.

"Maybe when all of this is over and it's safe for you guys to leave the shack, the three of us could go watch a movie together at my house."

"That'll be great," Dipper agreed, a little too eagerly.

Suddenly, there was a knock on the door and the three tensed up.

"I thought the shack was closed today." Mabel said in confusion.

"Relax, it's probably one of my friends." Wendy replied and made her way to the door, but when she opened it she was surprised to see it was a man wearing an expensive suit. He had black hair and dark brown eyes.

"Hello there," he said with an unsettling smile.

"Sorry sir, but we're closed today." Wendy stated calmly, but the man's smile didn't waver.

"I know,"

 **XXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Stan was watching Soos fix the attic window when suddenly a loud scream startled them both. Stan's heart almost skipped a beat when he realized it came from the gift shop and he wasted no time heading there.

When they finally reached the gift shop he found Dipper and Mabel were behind Wendy who was glaring at a man in front of her.

"What's going on here?" Stan asked confused.

"Stan!" Mabel cried out and quickly grabbed onto his pant leg. The kid was shaking. The last time Stan had seen her like this was when she first met Soos.

 _She must have gotten scared of the stranger in the room._ Stan assumed.

Stan took a deep a breath and then addressed the man. "Look pal, I don't know if you read the sign, but the shack's closed. Come back another time."

"Oh don't worry. I'm not here to buy anything." he said calmly.

Stan raised an eyebrow at this and was about to ask him again when Dipper spoke behind him.

"Guys, t-this is….it's him," the boy said, his voice shaking.

It took Stan a moment to realize who the kid was talking about. Once he did Stan felt both anger and dread fill him.

"My name is Sergio, but they probably told you about me." He said with a smirk. "I heard from my men that you found the kids and I came here personally to take them."

Stan scowl deepened. "And what makes you think I'm gonna let you do that?" he growled.

"Of course," The crime boss rolled his eyes in amusement and pulled a wad of cash from his pocket. "If it's the money you're worried about then-"

"I don't care how much you'll pay. I'm not letting you take the kids!" Stan exclaimed, earning a surprised look from Dipper.

"Yeah dude, Mabel and Dipper are our friends," Soos added and Wendy nodded firmly.

Sergio raised an eyebrow, clearly not expecting this. He then shrugged and stuffed the money back into his pocket. "Fine, we'll do this the hard way then."

As soon as those words left his mouth, the door opened again and five men walked in. Stan immediately recognized the first two as Andrew and Jim from the diner. There was also the one with the black beard they saw at the park when they were looking for Dipper.

They stood behind their boss waiting for further orders. Stan gulped and tried not letting his fear show.

He couldn't help asking. "Why are even doing all of this? What do you have to gain?"

"Well, those two had been a big help to me before. Not to mention they already knew the rules. No one is allowed to leave without my say. And if anyone tries to run away I'll bring them back," Sergio sneered and then glanced at one of his henchmen. "Marco, if you mind?"

The man with the black beard and brown shirt nodded solemnly and pulled out the unmistakable shape of a gun.

Stan's breathing hitched and he took a step back when the man aimed the gun at him.

"No wait, stop!" Mabel cried out and ran in front him.

"Mabel, what are you doing!?" Dipper exclaimed, but his sister ignored him.

"Please don't hurt him!" Mabel pleaded.

"Sorry kid, but that's what happens when people get in my way," Sergio stated.

"W-What if I come back with you then? Would you leave them alone?" Mabel asked desperately.

Everyone gasped and Stan's eyes widen. "Mabel no!" he shouted.

"Don't do it, Mabel!" Wendy yelled.

The girl turned to them. "I have to go with him or else he'll hurt you,"

"Then I'm coming too," Dipper said.

Mabel frowned. "Dipper, you don't have to…"

"He wants both of us, remember? Besides, I just got you back, Mabel. I won't be separated from you again," Dipper whispered, squeezing her hand reassuringly and she squeezed back.

The boy then turned to the crime boss. "Alright, you win. We'll go with you. Just leave everyone alone."

Sergio considered for a second and then nodded, motioning for his henchman to lower his gun.

Stan's mind raced, desperately trying to think of a way to stall, anything to say that'll stop them from taking the kids away, but in the end he had nothing.

There wasn't anything he could do to save them. He failed.

"Let's go then," Sergio said, turning around to leave.

"Wait, can we at least say goodbye?" Mabel asked.

The crime boss huffed impatiently. "Fine, just do it quickly,"

Mabel nodded and then made her way to Stan who knelt down and placed a hand on her shoulder. "I'm sorry, kid. I'm so sorry." He said guiltily, tears threatening at the corner of his eyes. He shouldn't have let this happen, he should have done a better job at protecting them.

"It's okay. You did everything you could. It's not your fault," Mabel said and gave him a watery smile.

Stan's heart swelled. Despite his failure at protecting her, despite the fact that she was going back to the man she tried so hard to run away from, this girl still managed to smile at him.

Mabel then threw her arms around his neck and buried her face in his shoulder. "I'm gonna miss you," she said, sniffling.

"Me too, Pumpkin," Stan whispered hoarsely and hugged back, savoring the embrace as much as he could. When they finally parted, Stan glanced at Dipper who was watching them awkwardly from his spot.

Stan smiled a little. "Hey Dip, I know we didn't have enough time to get to know each other better, but…take care of yourself and your sister, okay? I'm counting on you do to that,"

Dipper stared at Stan, taken aback. He looked like he wanted to say something to him, but couldn't find the right words so he just nodded. "I will, thanks for everything."

Stan gave him another weak smile and ruffled his head. He then backed away to let Wendy and Soos say goodbye too.

After a few moments, the three watched in silence as the six men began walking out of the door…taking the two kids they had grown to care for along with them.

Stan felt his heart sink at the sight and his shoulders sagged in despair. Just when he was ready to give up a certain memory flashed in his mind.

" _Kid, do you trust me?"_

" _I trust you,"_

No, Stan couldn't let them take the kids, he couldn't let Sergio have what he wants because for once it wasn't just about him anymore. Mabel had believed in him even when she had no reason to and he couldn't let her down.

Many years ago, Stan had failed to help someone he really cared about and he won't do it again.

"M-Mr. Pines, where are you going?"

Stan didn't even realize he was marching out of the gift shop until he made it to the porch where Sergio and his henchmen were about to get into their cars. They didn't seem to notice Stan coming their way.

Just as soon the crime boss turned to look at him Stan punched him in the jaw as hard as he could, knocking him down and shocking everyone.

"Stan, what are you-" Dipper couldn't even finish his sentence as Stan shouted at them.

"Get back in the shack NOW!"

The twins were startled, but did as they were told. Stan quickly went after them as the thugs tended to their fallen boss.

Once the three made it inside, Stan slammed the door shut and locked it.

"Mr. Pines, what are you doing!?" Wendy stammered, but he ignored the question again.

"Soos, take the twins to the attic and watch over them. Wendy call the authorities now!" He yelled as the thugs began banging on the door and yelling for them to open up.

Understanding the danger, Soos quickly took the twins out of the room while Wendy fumbled with her phone.

"C'mon…c'mon…pick up..." She murmured anxiously as the banging grew louder. Soon enough, someone picked up and Wendy wasted no time explaining everything to him.

"Sir, I'm serious this time. It's not a joke. They're trying to get inside the house right now!" she muttered impatiently over the noise. The person on the other end finally gave in and promised to send help immediately.

Before they could even feel relieved at this, the door was slammed open and the thugs immediately marched inside.

"You're gonna pay for that, old man!" Andrew shouted and charged at Stan.

The conman barely dodged the first few blows from the tall thug before he managed to knock him out with a punch to the face. He didn't have time to relax though as another man lunged at him.

Wendy meanwhile was scowling as two men approached her. "You know, I've been wanting to beat you guys up for a long time," she said fuming as the first thug pounced at her.

The teen swiftly avoided the blow making him stumble forward and she quickly gave him with a powerful kick to the back.

Jim growled and pulled out his knife. He then lunged at the girl and slashed at her, succeeding in cutting a short strand of her red hair.

Gritting her teeth, Wendy dodged the next attack and waited for an opening. Once she saw it, she slammed her elbow against his chest hard making him reel back in pain and giving her enough time to land a well-placed blow, rendering him unconscious.

"Look out!" Wendy didn't have time to register what happened as she was suddenly brought down to the floor by Stan and the sound of gunshot and glass shattering filled the air.

Wincing, she looked up to see Marco aiming his gun at them with a menacing grin on his face. She felt her blood run cold and braced herself for what was coming.

Suddenly, there was a loud smack and the thug fell to the floor unconscious. Soos was standing over him with a baseball bat clutched tightly in his hands.

"Phew, that was a close one," The handyman said and grinned at them. "Now I know why you keep some many of these all over the house, Mr. Pines,"

"Soos, you saved us!" Wendy smiled in relief as the handyman helped them up.

"Stan!" the twins suddenly rushed from behind Soos and hugged Stan.

"Are you okay? We were so worried about you!" Mabel said.

"I'm fine sweetie, just a little roughed up." He replied, grimacing slightly.

"But why did you do it? They could have killed you." Dipper asked, confused.

"Hey, I said I was gonna protect you two gremlins and I meant of every word of it," Stan answered and pulled them closer to him.

His body still ached from the fight they just had, the sound of sirens could be heard in the distance, but right now Stan didn't care about any of that.

The kids were here and safe and that's all that mattered to him.

 **XXXXXXXXXXXX**

 **A/N: Thanks for reading. Only one more chapter left and this story will completed.**

 **Please review!**


	13. Reunited

**Chapter 13 – Reunited**

 **A/N: Hey everyone, I can't believe this fic has reached over 100 reviews! Thank you all so much for all the feedback.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Gravity Falls.**

 **Enjoy the final chapter of Radiant.**

 **XXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Somewhere in Piedmont, California.

Henry sighed as he made his way through corridor of the apartment complex. Fumbling with his keys for a moment, he unlocked the door to his room and went inside. The room itself was a little too small for his liking, but it was all he could afford right now.

The man dropped his suit case on the floor and flopped down on his bed exhausted. It had been a long day and he wanted nothing more than to lie down and rest.

Henry then rolled over and spotted a picture frame on top of his nightstand. It was one he took of his two kids during their eleventh birthday. They both had big smiles on their faces. Henry felt his eyes glaze over.

It has been a year since the last time he saw them, a whole year of not knowing if his kids were safe and well fed. The night he found out what happened to them he had never been more scared in his entire life. He tried searching for them by himself, tried asking the police for help, but all their efforts led them to a dead-end. They never managed to find any trace of the twins no matter where they looked until the cops finally gave up on the search.

Henry only had himself to blame for what happened. He had been so naïve back then, so desperate that he trusted a stranger he knew nothing about and lost his family because of that. He spent every night wondering if the twins were okay, if Sergio was hurting them right now.

Henry found himself shuddering at the thought.

He had made a huge mistake and his children paid for it. He wouldn't blame them if they hated him. He was a horrible father and they deserved so much better.

Unable to look at the picture any longer, Henry rolled over and tried to at least get some sleep.

He didn't know how long he slept, but he suddenly woke up by the sound of his phone ringing. The bright screen was flashing faintly in the dark room.

Sighing, Henry groggily reached for it and answered the call.

"Hello?"

" _Hi, your name is Henry, right?"_ the gruff voice asked. It was one he never heard before.

"What is it to you?" Henry muttered, narrowing his eyes suspiciously.

" _I'll take that as a yes. My name is Stan Pines and I'm calling to tell you that I found your kids."_

"What!?" Henry shot up, unable to process what he just heard. He quickly shook himself from the shock and glared at the phone in annoyance. "Sir, if this is a joke I really don't-"

" _No, I assure you it's not a joke. I found Dipper and Mabel. They're with me right now. They gave me your phone number and asked me to call you. Here, you can talk to them if you want,"_

Just when Henry was about to retort again a familiar cheery voice spoke through the phone.

" _Hello?"_

Henry froze and his breathing hitched. "M-Mabel?"

" _Dad, it really is you! Can you hear me? I'm on the speakerphone!"_ she exclaimed loudly.

"Y-Yes, I can hear you." He said when he found his voice again.

" _Good, I missed you so much, Dad!"_

Henry felt a lump rise in his throat. "I missed you too, sweetheart. Are you okay? I-Is your brother there with you?"

" _Yeah, he's right here,"_ there was shuffling and muttered conversations he couldn't make out on the other end for a moment before Dipper got a hold of the phone.

" _Hey Dad,"_

Henry felt relieved at hearing his son's voice again, but he still needed to know if they were okay. "Dipper, tell me. Are you two alright? You're not hurt, are you?"

" _No, we're not hurt or anything. Don't worry, Dad."_ Dipper said reassuringly.

"But how are you here? What happened to Sergio and who's this man with you?" he asked confused.

" _We got away from him a while ago. Sergio is in jail right now along with his goons."_ Dipper explained.

" _Yeah and it's all thanks to Stan. Don't' worry about him, he won't hurt us. He's a really nice guy,"_ Mabel added.

" _Mabel, stop it. You're making me sound a like a big softie!"_ Stan muttered.

" _That's because you are a softie, Stan. Just admit it,"_ Mabel stated.

" _No, I'm not!"_

" _But you cried when she made you that scarf,"_ Dipper said.

" _I had glitter in my eyes!"_

Henry waited awkwardly as the three continued arguing for a whole minute before Stan got a hold of the phone again and cleared his throat. _"Anyway, if you wanna see the kids then come find us in Gravity Falls, Oregon. Look for the Mystery Shack when get there, okay?"_

Henry quickly grabbed a piece of paper and wrote everything down. _"Alright, I'll come as soon as I can."_

" _Good, see you then."_

" _Bye, Dad!"_ Dipper said.

" _We love you!"_ Mabel added.

Henry smiled. "I Love you guys too. See you soon." He said before hanging up. Henry didn't realize he was crying until he felt the tears fall down his face.

 **XXXXXXXXXXX**

Stan was in the middle of fixing his tie in the mirror. He just got a call from Henry saying that he'd be here soon and Stan wanted to be ready for that. He didn't know why, but he felt a lot more anxious about this than he should be.

Soon enough, Stan heard a knock on the door and he quickly went to open it to find a man in his mid-thirties. He had messy brown hair and a goatee. He wore an orange shirt and a brown jacket.

"Hi, I'm looking for….Stan Pines." He said uncertainly.

"That would be me," Stan shrugged and shook his hand. "You must be Henry, right?" he asked, just to make sure.

"Yeah, nice to meet you." He said with a small smile.

Stan then stepped aside to let him in and began leading him to the living room where the twins were. Glancing back he could see just how the nervous the man was. "Yeesh, calm down. I can see you shaking from all the way here."

"Sorry, it's just been so long since I've seen them," Henry stated.

It wasn't long until they reached the living room where the kids and his employees were. The four were so engrossed in the show they hadn't noticed them until Stan cleared his throat to get their attention.

"Dad!" the twins exclaimed. The man barely had any time to kneel down to their level before the two threw themselves into his arms and hugged him tightly.

"Kids, I looked everywhere, I-I kept trying to find you." He said guiltily. "I'm sorry I was so stupid."

"Hey, it's alright Dad. We never blamed you for what happened." Mabel said.

"Yeah, it's not your fault that Sergio pretended to be your friend. You couldn't have known." Dipper muttered.

Their dad then pulled away and raised an eye brow at them. "Hey, you've guys gotten a lot bigger than I remember." He noted with a smile.

"Actually, Mabel is taller," Soos said.

"By one millimeter." Dipper grumbled.

Henry turned to Stan and the others. "I don't know how I can thank you for bringing my kids back to me."

"It's nothing really." Stan shrugged awkwardly.

"Don't let him fool you. He really cares about them." Wendy said, grinning.

"Shut up, Corduroy." Stan huffed, but didn't try to argue with her.

 _I guess I do._

 **XXXXXXXXXXXX**

Mabel smiled as she finished setting all the snow globes on the shelf before looking around at the fully repaired gift shop. It hadn't been easy, but they managed to fix all the damage the thugs caused to the place.

"Alright, I think we're done dudes." Soos said as he placed the broom against the wall, whipping a bead of sweat from his forehead.

"Finally," Wendy stated, stretching herself. She then looked at the twins with a grin. "You guys know what this means. Ready for your first movie night at the Corduroy's house?"

"Of course!" Dipper muttered and Mabel nodded eagerly.

"Let's go then." The teen smiled and picked up her backpack.

"Have fun, dudes!" Soos muttered as he watched them leave.

Mabel was about to follow them, but then stopped when she remembered something.

"Hey, you guys can go up ahead. I forgot something."

"Alright, don't take too long, okay?" Wendy said and Mabel nodded.

The preteen then grabbed a small package from behind the counter and turned to the handyman. "Hey Soos, have you see Stan? I have something for him."

Soos tapped his chin thoughtfully. "Yeah, he said he'd go rest in the living room a few minutes ago,"

"Okay thanks!" Mabel muttered excitedly and quickly began making her way there. She knew Stan really liked the scarf she gave him before even if he won't admit it and she decided to give him a sweater that goes with it.

After explaining everything that happened during their stay in the Mystery Shack and what Stan and the others had done for them, their dad decided to make Gravity Falls their home, much to everyone's delight.

Wendy managed to convince her family to let Henry work in their lumber mill. When the twins asked him about it, he said it was a lot different from his old job back at Piedmont, but he was still happy here.

As for Mabel, with everyone's help she was slowly starting to overcome her fear of other people and she could now help in the gift shop. She still had nightmares about what happened with the crime boss and so did Dipper, but they weren't as bad as before.

Mabel still couldn't believe it was finally over. Sergio was gone. They didn't have to run and hide, they didn't have to be afraid anymore.

 _Everything is alright now._ Mabel thought. It felt like long ago since she ended up at Stan's doorsteps tired and hurt, and he took her in and looked after her.

"Hey Stan, I have a…" Mabel trailed off when she entered the living room only to find Stan sleeping soundly on his armchair.

The girl was a little disappointed, but then she smiled and made her way quietly to him, placing the sweater gently on his lap.

It'll be the first thing he sees when he wakes up.

"Thanks Stan, for everything." She whispered softly and then backed away from him. She then began heading to the exit. Dipper and Wendy were probably still waiting for her outside.

Mabel glanced at the sleeping man one final time and smiled before leaving the room.

 **The End**

 **XXXXXXXXX**

 **A/N: And done! Thanks for sticking with this story and for your continued support. I'm really glad you all like it.**

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